Photon Source Research Articles

Characterization of Porous Transport Electrodes in Proton Exchange Membrane Water Electrolyzers with Scanning Electron Microscopy and Micro X-ray Computed Tomography

With the move towards commercialization of proton exchange membrane water electrolyzers (PEMWE’s), the integration of the porous transport layer (PTL) and the anode catalyst layer (CL) into the porous transport electrode (PTE) is of much interest. Specifically, it is important to understand how different CL fabrication routes and ink formulations affect the performance. In addition to electrochemical characterization, a visual understanding of all components and the CL/PTL interface is needed to identify most optimum fabrication conditions.Typically, the CL is deposited on the polymer membrane, and then integrated with PTL. Deposition of the CL onto PTL has certain advantages, but generally results in CL with variation in coverage and thickness. Depending on the catalyst loading, this can range from very thin layers on the order of several hundred nanometers, to thicker coatings on the order of tens to hundreds of microns. Typically, characterization techniques such as Scanning Electron Microscopy Electron combined with X-Ray Dispersive Spectroscopy (SEM-EDS), is used in correlation with performance testing for initial assessment of the coating heterogeneity. Top-down analysis and analysis of cross-sections are both commonly employed. Other SEM-based techniques are also used, including Focused Ion Beam (FIB) technique, which can provide information about internal structure. Micro X-ray Computed Tomography (XCT) is another powerful method for investigation of CLs and their integration with PTLs 1. Thinner CLs produced with low catalyst loadings are inherently more challenging to characterize and require multi-analytical approach.This work investigates a series of PTEs produced using a Meyer Rod method. Fabrication parameters such as rod size, ink formulations and catalyst loadings were varied resulting in changes in the quality of the CLs. SEM-EDS and synchrotron micro-XCT (at the Advanced Photon Source (APS) on beamline 2-BM) were used to assess CL distribution, homogeneity, and thickness. This talk will discuss both benefits and limitations of using micro-XCT on these materials and compare techniques to highlight the benefit of using multiple characterization techniques for analysis.Citations:(1) Leonard, E.; Shum, A. D.; Danilovic, N.; Capuano, C.; Ayers, K. E.; Pant, L. M.; Weber, A. Z.; Xiao, X.; Parkinson, D. Y.; Zenyuk, I. V. Interfacial Analysis of a PEM Electrolyzer Using X-Ray Computed Tomography. Sustain. Energy Fuels 2020, 4 (2), 921–931.

Operando Measurement of Lithiation Gradients in NMC111-Argyrodite All-Solid-State Composite Cathodes

Achieving the high energy density targets in all-solid-state batteries (ASSBs) will require thick cathodes optimized for full utilization of active material. In composite cathodes with sulfide SSEs, the exclusion of carbon additives makes cathode design to balance ionic and electronic conductivities all the more important. Li-Ni1/3Mn1/3Co1/3O2 (NMC111) is a widely studied cathode material for its high energy density and high working voltage. The lattice parameters of this well-studied structure directly correlate to the amount of Li in the material, allowing for very accurate measurements of lithium-ion concentration gradients (lithiation gradients) throughout the cathode depth.Spatially resolved lithiation gradients in thick NMC111/ Li6PS5Cl composite cathodes were measured using operando energy dispersive X-ray diffraction (EDXRD) on sealed and pressurized ASSBs with varying relative amounts of cathode active mass (CAM) and SSE. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) and transmission line modeling were employed to test the ionic and electronic conductivities of composite cathodes with similar varied CAM and SSE ratios. The balance of ionic and electronic conductivities was found to influence not only the lithiation gradients and utilization of active material in the cell, but also the NMC structural change throughout the depth of the cell resulting in peak bifurcation in the NMC (003) diffraction pattern.Sulfide ASSBs suffer from a large capacity loss on the first cycle due to formation of the cathode electrolyte interface (CEI). To study this interface formation and capacity loss, in situ EIS was performed during the first charge and discharge of the full cell (Li/In| Li6PS5Cl| NMC111/Li6PS5Cl). This piecewise EIS allows us to analyze both time dependent and state-of-charge dependent interfacial processes while the battery cycles with no modifications to cell design. Acknowledgments We acknowledge financial support from the National Science Foundation under Award Number CBET-ES- 1924534. This research used resources of the Advanced Photon Source beamline 6-BM, a U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Science User Facility operated for the DOE Office of Science by Argonne National Laboratory under Contract No. DE-AC02-06CH11357.

Theoretical Modeling of sp3 Quantum Defects in Boron Nitride

Atomic defects in solids are intensively investigated as promising candidates for use as single photon sources. However, except for several remarkable exceptions, the atomic structures of these defects are largely unknown. We performed density functional theory calculations to predict SP3 quantum defects in boron nitride that can behave as bright emitters. The results point to possible new designs of quantum emitters in low-dimensional BN materials.

Generating high repetition rate X-ray attosecond pulses in a diffraction limited storage ring

To steer and track electron motion in atoms, molecules, and nanostructures, light pulses with attosecond duration and high repetition rate are required. In this paper, we use the angular dispersion-induced microbunching scheme and a few-cycle laser within a straight section (a few meters) of a diffraction-limited storage ring to generate a coherent high-flux attosecond pulse in the water window region. Simulation results based on the Southern Advanced Photon Source indicate that the proposed method can generate a chirp-free Fourier transform limited pulse with a minimum duration of 50 as, a maximum repetition rate of a few MHz, and a maximum average flux of about 4.4times 10^{11} photons/s/1%Bw.

(Invited) Electroluminescence from Single-Walled Carbon Nanotubes with Quantum Defects

Individual single-walled carbon nanotubes with covalent sidewall defects have emerged as a new class of photon sources whose photoluminescence spectra can be tailored by the carbon nanotube chirality and the attached functional group/molecule. Here we present electroluminescence spectroscopy data from single-tube devices based on (7,5) carbon nanotubes, functionalized with dichlorobenzene molecules, and wired to graphene electrodes. We observe electrically generated, defect-induced emissions that are controllable by electrostatic gating and strongly red-shifted compared to emissions from pristine nanotubes. The defect-induced emissions are assigned to excitonic and trionic recombination processes by correlating electroluminescence excitation maps with electrical transport and photoluminescence data. At cryogenic conditions additional, gate-dependent emission lines appear which are assigned to phonon-assisted hot-exciton electroluminescence from quasi-levels. Similar results were obtained with functionalized (6,5) nanotubes. We also compare functionalized (7,5) electroluminescence data with photoluminescence of pristine and functionalized (7,5) nanotubes redox-doped using gold(III) chloride solution. This work shows that electroluminescence excitation is selective toward neutral defect-state configurations with the lowest transition energy, which in combination with gate-control over neutral versus charged defect-state emission leads to high spectral purity.Reference: Min-Ken Li et al., ACS Nano 2022 (doi: 10.1021/acsnano.2c03083) Figure 1

Li-Ion and Na-Ion Intercalation in Layered MnO2 Cathodes Enabled by Using Bismuth as a Cation Pillar

Rechargeability of low-cost MnO2 cathodes in aqueous cells has the potential to be an enabling technology for low-cost (<$50/kWh) grid-scale batteries. This rechargeability is imparted by modifying the MnO2 with Bi. In this talk we detail using Bi doping for structural stabilization of MnO2 cathodes for Li-ion and Na-ion batteries in dry, non-aqueous electrolyte. We do this by preparing a series of Bi-doped layered MnO2 compounds, which also contain K ions and crystal water. These phyllomanganates or birnessite-type compounds have the general formula KxBiy-MnO2 • nH2O. The materials are structurally characterized by synchrotron X-ray powder diffraction (XPD) and confocal Raman microscopy. It is found that incorporation of Bi in the structure increases the crystallinity of the material by ordering the interlayer cations. This ordering results in the emergence of a structural superlattice in the material, which has been reported previously for birnessite inserted with other heavy, multivalent cations such as as Sr2+, Ba2+, and Ca2+.We selected three Bi doping levels to study in Li-ion and Na-ion batteries: undoped (y = 0), low-doping (y = 0.013 or 1.3%), and high doping (y = 0.043 or 4.3%). Both doped materials had capacity over 200 mAh/g and allowed for far more stable cell cycling than the undoped Kx-MnO2. The cells made with 4.3% doping of Bi were by far more stable. These cycled at 175-190 mAh/g specific capacity through 100 cycles with a nominal voltage of 2.9 V. Operando XRD experiments to characterize the cathodes within sealed coin cells showed that high-level doping (4.3%) promoted dehydration of the KxBiy-MnO2 interlayer, which had a distance of 6.4 Å. This showed that loss of the crystal water from the interlayer was key to achieving maximum stability during cycling. Lower Bi doping (1.3%) did not cause loss of the crystal water once the cathode was wetted with electrolyte. Previous reports have suggested that Bi doping of 20% results in stabilized Li-ion cycling in layered MnO2. However, these reports involved largely amorphous active material. Our results showed that Bi doping of only 1.3% still provided a large stability benefit, and the high crystallinity of our material allowed it to be structurally characterized, both in the as-prepared state and operando during battery cycling. Results from Na-ion cells will also be presented.Stabilized MnO2-based cathodes that cycle with good capacity and somewhat lower cell voltage than traditional Li-ion cells are a promising strategy for low-cost batteries for the grid. The possibility of using Na as the working ion is also useful for large-scale deployment of batteries to balance renewable power. Acknowledgments This work was supported by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Electricity Delivery and Energy Reliability, Dr. Imre Gyuk, Energy Storage Program Manager. This research used resources of the Advanced Photon Source beamline 6-BM, a U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Science User Facility operated for the DOE Office of Science by Argonne National Laboratory under Contract No. DE-AC02-06CH11357. This research also used resources at beamlines 7-BM (QAS) and 28-ID-2 (XPD) of the National Synchrotron Light Source II, a U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Science User Facility operated for the DOE Office of Science by Brookhaven National Laboratory under Contract No. DE-SC0012704.

Air kerma rate from radionuclides distributed in forest ecosystem

This study evaluates the air kerma rate in radioactively contaminated forests. The air kerma rates created by plane sources of monoenergetic photons in the energy range 0.02–3 MeV located at different depths in soil up to 50 g cm−2 and at different heights in the forest medium from 0.05 to 50 m were calculated using numeric solution of the transport (Boltzmann) equation. To simplify the practical use of the results obtained by solving the Boltzmann equation, the study additionally includes approximation formulae for calculating air kerma rate separately from contaminated soil, crowns and trunks of trees in a forest ecosystem for 20 radionuclides - fission products that significantly contribute to the external dose. Biomaterial of trunks and crowns was modeled as uniformly distributed in corresponding layers and homogeneously mixed with air. Different distributions of radionuclides in soil were considered including plane source located at different depths, exponential and uniform distribution. Based on the results, the effect of forest biomass presence as an absorbing and scattering medium on the air kerma rate at 1 m above soil was evaluated. The estimated relative difference in air kerma rate at 1 m above soil in the forest medium and in free air for monoenergetic photon sources with energies 0.1 MeV, 0.66 MeV and 3 MeV did not correlate significantly with the energy of photons. Its maximum value in forest medium with biomass density of 5 kg m−3 was 15–20% for the source at soil depth ∼0.3 g cm−2, decreasing to less than 5% when it is at soil depth greater than 7 g cm−2. An example calculation of the air kerma rate dynamics is presented for the initial period after radioactive fallout considering weathering processes (rainfall and wind action) that contribute to the transfer of activity from the canopies to the forest floor. The differences in air kerma rate values, as an integral characteristic of the gamma radiation field from a radioactive cloud in the forest and in the open area, were evaluated.

Measurement principles for quantum spectroscopy of molecular materials with entangled photons.

Nonlinear spectroscopy with quantum entangled photons is an emerging field of research that holds the promise to achieve superior signal-to-noise ratio and effectively isolate many-body interactions. Photon sources used for this purpose, however, lack the frequency tunability and spectral bandwidth demanded by contemporary molecular materials. Here, we present design strategies for efficient spontaneous parametric downconversion to generate biphoton states with adequate spectral bandwidth and at visible wavelengths. Importantly, we demonstrate, by suitable design of the nonlinear optical interaction, the scope to engineer the degree of spectral correlations between the photons of the pair. We also present an experimental methodology to effectively characterize such spectral correlations. Importantly, we believe that such a characterization tool can be effectively adapted as a spectroscopy platform to optically probe system-bath interactions in materials.

Polarization Engineering of Entangled Photons from a Lithium Niobate Nonlinear Metasurface.

Complex polarization states of photon pairs are indispensable in various quantum technologies. Conventional methods for preparing desired two-photon polarization states are realized through bulky nonlinear crystals, which can restrict the versatility and tunability of the generated quantum states due to the fixed crystal nonlinear susceptibility. Here we present a solution using a nonlinear metasurface incorporating multiplexed silica metagratings on a lithium niobate film of 300 nm thickness. We fabricate two orthogonal metagratings on a single substrate with an identical resonant wavelength, thereby enabling the spectral indistinguishability of the emitted photons, and we demonstrate in experiments that the two-photon polarization states can be shaped by the metagrating orientation. Leveraging this essential property, we formulate a theoretical approach for generating arbitrary polarization-entangled qutrit states by combining three metagratings on a single metasurface, allowing the encoding of the desired quantum states or information. Our findings enable miniaturized optically controlled quantum devices by using ultrathin metasurfaces as polarization-entangled photon sources.

Ptychography at the Taiwan Photon Source

Ptychography at the Taiwan Photon Source

Transfer learning application of self-supervised learning in ARPES

There is a growing recognition that electronic band structure is a local property of materials and devices, and there is steep growth in capabilities to collect the relevant data. New photon sources, from small-laboratory-based lasers to free electron lasers, together with focusing beam optics and advanced electron spectrometers, are beginning to enable angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy (ARPES) in scanning mode with a spatial resolution of near to and below microns, two- to three orders of magnitude smaller than what has been typical for ARPES hitherto. The results are vast data sets inhabiting a five-dimensional subspace of the ten-dimensional space spanned by two scanning dimensions of real space, three of reciprocal space, three of spin-space, time, and energy. In this work, we demonstrate that recent developments in representational learning (self-supervised learning) combined with k-means clustering can help automate the labeling and spatial mapping of dispersion cuts, thus saving precious time relative to manual analysis, albeit with low performance. Finally, we introduce a few-shot learning (k-nearest neighbor) in representational space where we selectively choose one (k = 1) image reference for each known label and subsequently label the rest of the data with respect to the nearest reference image. This last approach demonstrates the strength of self-supervised learning to automate image analysis in ARPES in particular and can be generalized to any scientific image analysis.

Robotic pendant drop: containerless liquid for μs-resolved, AI-executable XPCS

The dynamics and structure of mixed phases in a complex fluid can significantly impact its material properties, such as viscoelasticity. Small-angle X-ray Photon Correlation Spectroscopy (SA-XPCS) can probe the spontaneous spatial fluctuations of the mixed phases under various in situ environments over wide spatiotemporal ranges (10−6–103 s /10−10–10−6 m). Tailored material design, however, requires searching through a massive number of sample compositions and experimental parameters, which is beyond the bandwidth of the current coherent X-ray beamline. Using 3.7-μs-resolved XPCS synchronized with the clock frequency at the Advanced Photon Source, we demonstrated the consistency between the Brownian dynamics of ~100 nm diameter colloidal silica nanoparticles measured from an enclosed pendant drop and a sealed capillary. The electronic pipette can also be mounted on a robotic arm to access different stock solutions and create complex fluids with highly-repeatable and precisely controlled composition profiles. This closed-loop, AI-executable protocol is applicable to light scattering techniques regardless of the light wavelength and optical coherence, and is a first step towards high-throughput, autonomous material discovery.

Silicon-nitride-based entrance slit design for the high-power-density monochromator in TPS 45A.

Details of the design and operational status of the silicon-nitride-based entrance slit installed in the Taiwan Photon Source (TPS) 45A beamline are given. The slit is a diamond blade edge etched onto a copper slit part, which is in thermal contact with the silicon nitride base. A stable slit opening smaller than 4 µm is achieved in TPS 45A. The beam size at the slit has a full width at half-maximum of 3 µm in the vertical direction with a power of 20 W. Additionally, a hard stop made of invar is incorporated to control the thermal expansion displacement. The slit reduces the size and increases the stability of the source of the monochromator. Consequently, a higher energy resolution and excellent beamline stability are achieved.

Direct density modulation of photo-assisted field emission from an RF cold cathode

This paper explores direct density modulation of high-current electron beam emission from an RF cold cathode using optical excitation. We theoretically study the photo-assisted field emission of periodically bunched electron beams of various pulse shapes under the combined excitation of an RF field and an optical field, using an exact quantum model. Both continuous-wave (CW) and pulsed optical fields are considered. The emission current pulse amplitude, pulse width, electron number density per pulse, as well as pulse shape and its harmonic contents are investigated in detail. For CW photon sources in the UV to NIR range (i.e., 200–1200 nm), increasing the optical intensity under an RF bias tends to change the current pulse from a Gaussian to sinusoidal-like shape, thus offering strong flexibility to control the frequency components in beam current emission. Pulsed photon sources combined with an RF field can produce sharp, high-current electron bunches with pulse duration comparable with or even less than that of the optical pulse. A contour map of the density modulation depth is constructed for different combinations of RF and laser fields. The results provide insight into unlocking new opportunities to achieve direct density modulation during electron current emission by optical means.

Electric and Magnetic Fields Effects in Vertically Coupled GaAs/AlxGa1−xAs Conical Quantum Dots

Vertically coupled quantum dots have emerged as promising structures for various applications such as single photon sources, entangled quantum pairs, quantum computation, and quantum cryptography. We start with a structure composed of two vertically coupled GaAs conical quantum dots surrounded by AlxGa1−x, and the effects of the applied electric and magnetic fields on the energies are evaluated using the finite element method. In addition, the effects are evaluated by including the presence of a shallow-donor impurity. The electron binding energy behavior is analyzed, and the effects on the photoionization cross-section are studied. Calculations are carried out in the effective mass and parabolic conduction band approximations. Our results show a notable dependence on the electric and magnetic fields applied to the photoionization cross-section. In general, it has been observed that both the electric and magnetic fields are useful parameters for inducing blueshifts of the resonant photoionization cross-section structure, which is accompanied by a drop in its magnitude.

Aluminum scandium nitride films for piezoelectric transduction into silicon at gigahertz frequencies

Recent advances in the growth of aluminum scandium nitride films on silicon suggest that this material platform could be applied for quantum electromechanical applications. Here, we model, fabricate, and characterize microwave frequency silicon phononic delay lines with transducers formed in an adjacent aluminum scandium nitride layer to evaluate aluminum scandium nitride films, at 32% scandium, on silicon interdigital transducers for piezoelectric transduction into suspended silicon membranes. We achieve an electromechanical coupling coefficient of 2.7% for the extensional symmetric-like Lamb mode supported in the suspended material stack and show how this coupling coefficient could be increased to at least 8.5%, which would further boost transduction efficiency and reduce the device footprint. The one-sided transduction efficiency, which quantifies the efficiency at which the source of microwave photons is converted to microwave phonons in the silicon membrane, is 10% at 5 GHz at room temperature and, as we discuss, there is a path to increase this toward near-unity efficiency based on a combination of modified device design and operation at cryogenic temperatures.

Bismuth surfactant-enhanced III-As epitaxy on GaAs(111)A

Quantum dot (QD) growth on high () symmetry GaAs{111} surfaces holds promise for efficient entangled photon sources. Unfortunately, homoepitaxy on GaAs{111} surfaces suffers from surface roughness/defects and InAs deposition does not natively support Stranski–Krastanov QD growth. Surfactants have been identified as effective tools to alter the epitaxial growth process of III-V materials, however, their use remains unexplored on GaAs{111}. Here, we investigate Bi as a surfactant in III-As molecular beam epitaxy on GaAs(111)A substrates, demonstrating that Bi can eliminate surface defects/hillocks in GaAs and (Al,Ga)As layers, yielding atomically-smooth hillock-free surfaces with RMS roughness values as low as 0.13 nm. Increasing Bi fluxes are found to result in smoother surfaces and Bi is observed to increase adatom diffusion. The Bi surfactant is also shown to trigger a morphological transition in InAs/GaAs(111)A films, directing the 2D InAs layer to rearrange into 3D nanostructures, which are promising candidates for high-symmetry QDs. The desorption activation energy () of Bi on GaAs(111)A was measured by reflection high energy electron diffraction, yielding = 1.7 ± 0.4 eV. These results illustrate the potential of Bi surfactants on GaAs(111)A and will help pave the way for GaAs(111)A as a platform for technological applications including quantum photonics.

Facile growth of perovskite nanoparticles confined on dimension-controlled Si nanorod arrays for various promising photophysical applications

In this study, a facile growth of hybrid perovskite nanoparticles (NPs) has been demonstrated on mesoporous, high-aspect ratio, morphology-controlled Si nanorod (NR) arrays. A generic method of directly confining perovskite nanocrystallites (average size <7 nm) on a mesoporous substrate without the use of colloidal stabilization was introduced. The perovskite NPs coated on dimension-and position-controlled Si NR arrays were systematically investigated by their various photophysical properties such as optical reflectance, cathodoluminescence (CL), and photoluminescence (PL) behaviors at both room temperature and low temperature. The dimension and position of the Si NR arrays were controlled by e-beam lithography followed by selective metal-assisted chemical etching (MACE). Organic-inorganic perovskite NPs were synthesized on the surface of Si NR array by spin coating of perovskite precursor solution and followed by annealing. The porous and rough sites on the surface of the NR arrays acted as nucleation centers for the formation of perovskite NPs. Due to the excitonic recombination of CH3NH3PbBr3, the NPs confined on the various NR templates exhibited strong PL emission in the 505–510 nm region. Furthermore, due to greater radiative recombination and lesser carrier trapping in the NPs, the PL and CL emission intensities of the perovskite NPs localized on the surface of the NR array were dramatically increased (PL enhancement factor ∼ 7.7, when NR aspect ratio ∼ 17.2) as compared to the bulk perovskite microcrystals. The low-temperature PL study revealed higher exciton binding energy of the NPs as compared to the bulk microcrystalline film. A systematic investigation revealed that the optical absorption, as well as the emission color of the perovskite NPs, can be tuned by the aspect ratio of the Si NR arrays. The results of our studies indicate the application of bandgap engineering of perovskite nanocrystals through confinement in a mesoporous, well-organized, regularly-ordered template as a powerful tool for tuning the emission wavelength in next-generation photonic sources. Furthermore, the important findings on the periodic array of photoactive nanoscale materials introduced in this manuscript may open up huge opportunities in numerous cutting-edge applications such as light emitting diode arrays, photodetector arrays, individually addressable devices, display devices with controlled pixel size and pixel density, etc.

Development of DSP-based TPS fully digital correction magnet power supply

The Taiwan Photon Source (TPS) is a third-generation 3 GeV synchrotron accelerator light source. After successfully operating for ten years since its first light in 2013, various subsystems are undergoing updates. In the context of magnet power supply upgrades, the trend toward digitization and high-precision modulation control is driving advancements worldwide. This study focuses on developing a fully digital correction magnet power supply (FDCMPS) based on a digital signal processor (DSP). The prototype utilizes a low-power, floating-point DSP with multiple communication functionalities as the core control unit. The output current is converted into digital values using current sensors and high-precision analog-to-digital converters. Discrete PI compensator algorithms are implemented within the DSP to generate pulse-width modulation (PWM) waveforms, driving a full-bridge (H-bridge) converter configuration with metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistors (MOSFET). This forms a complete, fully digital closed-loop current control system. A virtual control interface is designed to operate the FDCMPS state. The control loop design of the prototype has been validated and demonstrates stable output bipolar current performance. When tested with a 0.1 V input reference signal, the prototype achieves a -3 dB bandwidth of 2.03 kHz. Finally, a hardware prototype circuit was constructed in the power supply laboratory, with an input voltage of 48 V, an output current of 10 A, and a maximum power of 400 W. Overall, the developed fully digital correction magnet power supply prototype showcases stable and high-performance output bipolar current performance. The system achieves total harmonic distortion of output current ripple within 0.3 mA peak to peak and long-term stability within ± 15 ppm. The successful implementation of the prototype establishes a solid foundation for advancing magnet power supply technology at the TPS.

Cryogenic System Preliminary Design for a 0.5m-Long, Conduction-Cooled Nb3Sn Undulator Magnet Prototype

There are several NbTi superconducting undulator (SCU) magnets currently in operation at the Advanced Photon Source (APS) at Argonne National Laboratory (ANL). The development on Nb <sub xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">3</sub> Sn-based superconducting undulator magnets at APS is underway due to the potential to further enhance the performance of the SCUs. Superconducting undulator magnets need to keep temperature gradients minimized in order to retain thermal and operating current margin. We have designed the thermal links for efficient heat conduction using 3D finite element analysis (FEA) simulation in COMSOL Multiphysics software, which was later used for the calculation of the temperature distribution across a 0.5 m long, conduction-cooled, Nb <sub xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">3</sub> Sn undulator magnet prototype that includes both conductive heat transfer and radiative heating components. We have modelled the evolution of the thermal properties of the magnet winding as well as other cold parts during cool-down from ambient temperature with the operation of a SHI RDK-415D cryocooler to examine the estimated time that is needed for the cooldown as well as the baseline temperature we could achieve. A key result was that a maximum coil <inline-formula xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"><tex-math notation="LaTeX">$\Delta $</tex-math></inline-formula> T = 0.11 K along the designed thermal links and a temperature range of 3.42 K–3.53 K for the winding were predicted at steady state. A pair of G10 support rods for carrying the magnet as well as a pair of current leads made of metals were also designed and optimized for the testing system, targeting for an operation temperature of 4 K and a coil current of 950 A DC.